Background: In Singapore, the National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) was launched in 2011. The central ethos of the initiative was that of “One Patient, One Health Record”, as NEHR allows registered doctors to review and upload patient data. However, uptake of the system has been slow in the private sector, with only 27% of doctors with private licenses, including general practitioners (GP) and specialists in the ambulatory care setting, accessing it. A questionnaire-based study was therefore conducted to find out the proportion of GP who used NEHR, and the barriers faced by those who do not. Methods: This study involved a self-administered questionnaire, randomly sampling private GP in Singapore. The questionnaire ascertained the number of GP who used NEHR and gathered their demographic information. A 5-point Likert scale was used to measure the perceived barriers to NEHR use. Results: Of the 315 responses, multinomial logistics regression showed that solo-practising GP who were >40 years old and who had practised for >15 years were less likely to review, or review and upload, data onto NEHR. Doctors who regarded themselves as computer users with lower levels of technical aptitude and those who perceived an inadequate level of support were less likely to use the NEHR. The majority of GP had a positive attitude towards NEHR. Conclusions: This study highlighted key demographics and perceived barriers affecting NEHR use. By raising awareness of these issues to policy makers and working to overcome these barriers, NEHR use may be increased.

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IntroductionOlder patients on polypharmacy are predisposed to drug‐related problems (DRPs). While medication therapy management (MTM) with pharmacist involvement can reduce DRP occurrence, few have examined its impact on reducing unplanned admissions. This study was designed to determine whether a pharmacist‐provided MTM service can reduce unplanned admissions through the comparison with patients receiving usual care.MethodsA retrospective case–control study was conducted in Changi General Hospital. Patients enrolled to MTM service from January 2016 to December 2021 were included in the intervention arm (n = 96) while patients who were not enrolled were recruited as control (n = 96). Primary outcome was the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of unplanned admissions within 6 months postindex visit comparing between intervention arm and control arm. Secondary outcomes included number of DRPs identified, types of DRPs, and the potential risks avoided by resolving DRPs. The negative binomial mixed model was used to model the unplanned admissions data.ResultsMTM with pharmacists' involvement was associated with a 39% (IRRs 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.37–0.99, p = 0.047) lower rate of admissions in the intervention compared with the control group. There were higher number of DRPs (144 vs. 2) found in the intervention arm compared with control arm, respectively. The most prevalent types of DRPs were “Nonadherence” (80.1%), “Drug omission” (5.6%), and “Inappropriate dose” (2.8%). The most common potential risks avoided were increased cardiovascular risk, n = 29 (22.1%), increased fall risk, n = 18 (13.7%), and increased fracture risk, n = 17 (13.0%).ConclusionThe study suggests that pharmacist‐provided MTM service decreased unplanned admission. It has improved medication safety and quality of care by identifying and resolving more DRPs.